Why does your product/service matter to consumers?

???

Is that what consumers say?

Let’s take for example a day or a month where your product/service is no longer available. Now picture your consumers so irked off that they’ve taken to protesting outside of your office building. The image here illustrates protesters outside of your office irked because your product/service is no longer available. What would their signs say? Why would they miss you? Would they miss you?

Here’s a well known case study sharing how a ‘so what’ insight turned around milk consumption in the 90’s. It’s one of my favorite case studies of all time. And, consider taking class tomorrow at BiGAUSTIN [in Austin] with me. We’ll discuss finding your ‘so what’.

Join me for Strategic Messaging class at BiGAUSTIN this week:

WHAT: Strategic Messaging class with Alix Morrow
WHEN: Thursday, Sept 12th from 11:30am-1pm
WHERE: BiGAUSTIN, 5407 North IH 35, Suite 200
COST: Free! [Registration required — link below]
FYI: This class will be recorded / excerpts from the audience may be captured on film

DESCRIPTION:
Did you know that what you advertise, sell, and make money on can be three different things? In Strategic Messaging, you will learn how to tailor your brand message for meaningful dialogue. We will start by understanding the relationship of your product to consumers and the marketplace. After a brief discussion and exercise on differentiation, each participant will craft their very own brand positioning statement. At the conclusion of the session you will have the tools to build and leverage your brand effectively across all forms of communications.

REGISTER HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/event/7883205881

ALIX ON LINKEDIN:
www.linkedin.com/pub/alix-morrow/2/702/4aa/

Last week I attended a luncheon where a “leading authority on social media and online marketing” was the speaker. It was an interesting presentation and the presenter shared her numbers to substantiate her success; sharing x number of FB followers in one year, x number of Twitter followers, and the success attribute of making six figures.

What’s stayed with me is what she said regarding how she became successful. Apparently, she didn’t leave the house for her first year in business and presented herself as “being everywhere without being anywhere”. Isn’t that something? That, with the power of ‘social’ media these days you can actually launch a business and be in business without having to ever leave your house.

My thoughts:

– Yes, these days, you truly can start a business from the comfort of your own home computer

– If you’re presenting yourself as hyper connected and attending stuff, then you’re fibbing a little when you actually do not attend that something. The first rule of life, IMO, is showing up. Maybe for some it’s having an online presence, but don’t you have to ‘show up’ for that to work, too?

– If this behavior takes form, we’ll all just be online reflections of ourselves

– Do numbers really matter? Can a self-employed person or business actually still build cred by claiming how many FB or Twitter followers they have? The latest rig on the number game is on LinkedIn and the number of recommendations by a particular skill. A good 90% of the people who have offered me a tic, I’ve never worked with and I haven’t accepted these ‘recommendations’ for that reason.

Net net:

-Online presence does matter and there are tools and practices a business can use to move existing and potential consumers from awareness to purchase. I think for many businesses the challenge today is how to move from having an online presence to having sales.

-It’s not cool if you present yourself as being everywhere (as in attending stuff) and then you actually don’t show up.

-Sure, you can be everywhere online but are you truly building deep relationships with potential and existing customers?

-Use social media as a mechanism for fostering deep relationships; not as the sole mechanism.

Join me in the voting process for SXSW Interactive 2014. Please take a read of my submitted core conversation proposal below and click through to help give consumer-based strategy a seat at the SXSW Interactive table in 2014.

Now What? Examining Just Right Strategy

In March of 2013, AlixCompany LLC undertook an independent analysis of SXSW 2013 Interactive proposal trends. Proposal title words such as change, startup, tech, and innovation ranked as high propensity words alongside other popular title words such as art, big data, world, and experience; reflecting an emergence of the new and innovative alongside the present and predictable.  Unfortunately, the consumer connective tissue or ‘strategy’ failed to pop at the top. This session aims to change that by giving consumer-based strategy know-how a place at the table.

In this interactive session, tried-and-true tools and tactics for discovering how to position your product or service will be shared by an awarded consumer strategy expert. This session offers ‘just right’ solutions immediately applicable for startups and innovators alongside ‘now what’ direction for folks who have had initial startup success and now need practical guidance for continued market success.

Vote here (registration required to vote):  http://lnkd.in/KtytVu

And, here’s more about my background and experience:  www.linkedin.com/pub/alix-morrow/2/702/4aa/

One of my favorite classes to teach is headed to BiGAUSTIN again in September. Please find specifics, including a link to register, below:

WHAT: Strategic Messaging class with Alix Morrow
WHEN: Thursday, Sept 12th from 11:30am-1pm
WHERE: BiGAUSTIN, 5407 North IH 35, Suite 200
COST: Free! [Registration required — link below]
FYI: This class will be recorded / excerpts from the audience may be captured on film

DESCRIPTION:
Did you know that what you advertise, sell, and make money on can be three different things? In Strategic Messaging, you will learn how to tailor your brand message for meaningful dialogue. We will start by understanding the relationship of your product to consumers and the marketplace. After a brief discussion and exercise on differentiation, each participant will craft their very own brand positioning statement. At the conclusion of the session you will have the tools to build and leverage your brand effectively across all forms of communications.

REGISTER HERE:
– Link to be posted on the 12th on this calendar shortly…
http://bigaustin.org/workshops/action:month/exact_date:1378011600/

ALIX ON LINKEDIN:
www.linkedin.com/pub/alix-morrow/2/702/4aa/

It’s an exciting time to be in Austin. I recently met an Account Planner named Chris Kocek who has a lot going on. In March at SXSW Interactive, Chris launched his company, Gallant. Then in April, he spoke at TEDxYouth about ‘Seeing the world with a fresh set of eyes’. And in May, he agreed to speak with me on Dialogue and [AND! seriously, there’s more] he published his first book, “The Practical Pocket Guide to Account Planning“.

I’m excited and energized by Chris and am thrilled to share with you some of his smarts.

You can find Chris’ interview here with the other Dialogues. Or, simply click below to access our conversation:

[the Dialogue is 30 minutes]

AlixCompany Dialogue with Chris Kocek (click here)

Please find below the key questions from our conversation:

• What would you say was the spark for creating, The Practical Pocket Guide to Account Planning? If you would, please share with us how the idea to write the book came about.
• What would you say is the book’s purpose?
• Who do you think will find the most value from reading it? Why is that?
• You bring up an excellent point, “…traditional planners will cross with UX planners.” Share with us your POV on planning’s value as a discipline within the digital and user experience world we live in today. What stays the same? What would you say has changed? What would you say the future holds for planners in our digital world?
• I love that you break out consumer segments and personas in the book. Over the last three years, I’ve seen a rise in the use of personas with lot of good-use and a lot of bad-use. The good-usage always links back to knowledge gained during research or some otherwise substantiated fact and insight. Share with us your process for integrating research within developing personas; the ‘what works well’ and also the ‘what doesn’t work well’ for developing personas.
• Getting into an agency as a planner can be tough. How did you do it? What would you recommend to those listening in terms of getting a job as an account planner.

Enjoy!